Street Signs

Sometimes when a family is well-known in the community and lives there for several generations, a street gets named after them.  Here are some street signs named after my family members that I've come across in my ancestry road trips around New England.

1. Webber Road, Brimfield, Massachusetts

Charles Arnold Webber and family lived on this property in Brimfield for many years in the 1800s.  I'm holding his picture under his street sign and he is my 2x great-grandfather.

2. Morse Street, Putnam, Connecticut

Just over the border of Woodstock, Connecticut is Morse Street.  The Morse family lived in Woodstock since the 1600s. Peter Morse, my 8x great-grandfather, was one of the original settlers of Woodstock.  

3. Peake Brook Road, Woodstock, Connecticut

Sarah Peake is my 7x great-grandmother she was one of the first generation of settlers born in Woodstock whose parents were originally from Roxbury, Massachusetts.  Sarah Peake lived to be 99 years old (1702-1801).  Peake Brook Road was named after their family.

4. Harris Road, Cumberland, Maine

The huge Harris family lived in Cumberland and North Yarmouth, Maine for several generations in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Harris Road is just a couple miles from Turkey Lane and Gray Road, where other Harris family members lived. Amos Harris was my 5x great-grandfather. 

The other respiratory illness

While the world is gripped with the Coronavirus, here is a post about another respiratory illness that one of my family members lived through, tuberculosis.

Family member name: Eleanor Webber
Tree branch: Webber
Lifetime: 1921-2010
Relation: My great-aunt (my father's father's sister)

Unfortunately I never spoke with Auntie Eleanor about her ordeal with tuberculosis.  All I know is a couple stories from my dad and some entries from Eleanor's mother's diary.

Eleanor's mother (my great grandmother), Mattie, kept a little diary of important events in her life. One was November 16, 1942: "E. goes to Channing Home"

Mattie's diary

Channing Home was originally named Channing Street Home for Sick and Destitute Women.  (Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital) Founded in 1857 as a refuge for poor women, it later became a nationally known center for the treatment of women with tuberculosis.  As my father recalls, Eleanor spent years (perhaps seven years!) in an institution for her treatment of TB.  Perhaps Channing Home was that institution.

The treatment for TB involved complete and horizontal bed rest and, believe it or not, social distancing and separation from family, especially children.  

A screen shot from Google Maps of the address of Channing Home.

Also from Mattie's diary: "April 30, 1946 - Dr. Overholt at Deaconess removes E's lung.  Successful. Oxygen tent."

Who was Dr. Overholt? In the 1930's he performed the first successful removal of a right lung on a cancer patient.  Eleanor had one of the best doctors in the country.  Here is the link to his obituary in The New York Times.

Poor Eleanor.  She perhaps started her treatment at age 21 and had her lung removed at age 25.  Basically her 20's were gone.  How sad to spend some of the prime years of your life in a hospital, and some in an oxygen tent. Thankfully, she recovered and lived a long life.  She was a sweet, beloved piano teacher in her hometown, Needham, Massachusetts.  She passed away just one week short of her 89th birthday.

Mattie and Eleanor Webber

Namesakes: Charlotte Ellen Smith

Installment #2 in my series of namesakes is my paternal grandmother, Charlotte Ellen Smith.  Let's learn about the family members she may have been named after.

Family member name: Charlotte Ellen Smith Webber
Tree branch: Smith
Lifetime: 1915 - 2014
Relation: My grandmother (my dad's mom)

First name: Charlotte

There were two special Charlottes in her parents’ life. Who were they?

Special Charlotte #1:  Her father’s step-grandmother: Charlotte Whitton Gould Hardy Smith

Charles Nelson Smith was my grandmother's father.  His grandmother (Susan Stetson) died before he was born.  But his grandfather remarried just eight months later to a widow named Charlotte Whitton Gould Hardy.  According to the Hardy Family History, her first husband passed away when he was 30 years old aboard a ship bound for San Francisco when a fire destroyed the ship. This Charlotte Hardy Smith was the Smith grandmother that Charles knew from when he was born.  And he grew up nearby his grandparents.  

Did Charlotte treat Charles like he was her own grandchild? Did they have a special relationship? 

Then in 1914, this Charlotte passed away just four months before my grandma was born. Did Charles Nelson Smith want to honor his grandmother's recent passing? If so, he may have named his daughter after her.

Special Charlotte #2:  Her father's aunt: Charlotte H. Morse Gibbs

Uncle Gran (Granville Micah Gibbs) was married to Aunt Lottie (Charlotte Morse).  She seemed to be a favorite among the cousins.  Aunt Lottie was an expert seamstress who would make clothing for family members.

Was Aunt Lottie close with her nephew, Charles and his wife Florence? Could my grandmother be named after her great aunt?  

By naming her Charlotte, they got two for the price of one!

Middle name: Ellen

This is an easy one.  Ellen was the name of my grandmother's maternal grandma, Ellen Fripp Bromley, who was very close to her.

According to the US Social Security Administration, Charlotte was the sixth most popular name for a baby girl in 2019.  Wow, what a comeback!

Sources:

Hardy and Hardie, page 6 - A scanned online PDF file of the Hardy family history

US Social Security Administration - Popular baby names

"My Memories of the Family" - a typed paper copy in my possession written by Pearl K. (Gibbs) Thomas

New England, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1787-1922 page 60 via Ancestry.com

Namesakes: Roger Pearson Webber

What's the story behind your name? 

Today it's common for new parents to choose their baby's name because they like the sound of it, or because it's cool and popular.  (Hi to all the Finleys and Liams out there!)  

This, however, is a departure from the customary naming conventions that have prevailed over the last few hundred years in the United States.  Children were often named after their parents and grandparents.  This is a bonus for genealogists because it helps when following the family line.

This is the first installment in my little series of Namesakes.  Let's find out where our family members got their names, and the possible stories behind them.

Roger Pearson Webber

Family member name: Roger Pearson Webber
Tree branch: Webber
Lifetime: 1914 - 2000
Relation: My grandfather (my dad's dad)

In the case of my grandpa, both his first and middle names were handed down to him.  

• First name: From his dad, whose middle name was Rogers (with an s), which was his grandma's maiden name (that is my grandpa's great-grandmother).  
• Middle name: from his mom, whose maiden name was Pearson.  The Pearsons had lived in New England as far back as 1740.

Follow the orange boxes.

Born in Holland, but not Dutch

Five generations of my ancestors were born in Holland.  However, I'm not even 1% Dutch.  How can that be?  They're from a town called Holland, in Massachusetts.  I recently discovered that I have deep roots in Holland.

Holland is in Central Mass, right on the Connecticut border.  If you've traveled to Boston via route 84, you've driven right through it.

Family member name: Trenance Weber
Tree branch: Webber
Lifetime: 1710- unknown (after 1760)
Relation: My 7x great-grandfather

Trenance Webber was born to John and Elizabeth Trenance Webber in Beverly, Massachusetts, but moved to Holland around 1760.  Then the next five generations of Webber children were born in Holland.  They are:

Samuel Webber, born about 1735
his son Samuel Webber, Jr., born 1761
his son Eleazer Webber, born 1785
his son Edwin Ballard Webber, born 1819
his son Charles Arnold Webber, born 1858

Charles Arnold Webber and his wife Emma moved closer to Boston, and their son Harlan (my great grandfather) was born in Dorchester.  Then they moved to Needham, where the Webber family lived for 100 years.

As of 2019 in Holland, there is a home that was painstakingly and lovingly built as a replica of the John Webber house of 1760.  Here's what my 8x great-grandfather and grandmother's home looked like.

The Brimfield Blashfields

One sad yet obvious reality of family tree research is that as yet there are no happy endings.  All of the people I research are dead.  I realize this.  However, sometimes I come across stories that affect me more than usual.  Case in point is the Blashfield men of Brimfield, Massachusetts.

Family member name: Orestes A. Blashfield (awesome name)
Tree branch: Webber
Lifetime: 1830-1892
Relation: My 3x great grandfather (my dad's dad's dad's mom's dad)

I was researching the date of death of my 3x great grandfather, Orestes Blashfield.  Here is what I found in Massachusetts Death Records for 1892.

1892 Brimfield, Massachusetts Death Records

The date of death was November 27, 1892, 126 years ago today.  I also found the cause of death was suicide.  So sad. Only 62 years old.  I was so upset about this and wondered what could have caused him to do this.

A few days later I looked at the same file again.  Here it is again.  Do you see what I missed the first time?

1892 Brimfield, Massachusetts Death Records

His 33-year old son, Frank, had passed away less than 6 weeks earlier of the rare problem of a rectal ulcer.  To make matters worse, it was noted on the 1880 census that Frank was "Insane." It may be that Orestes could not handle the grief and took his own life because of it.  Sadly, Orestes' wife and mother of their child lost both men in her life in a short period of time.  Her name was Julia Elmina and she would live another 30 years.

This is the family's headstone in Brimfield Cemetery that I visited with my mom a few years ago.

Brimfield Cemetery, Brimfield, Massachusetts

No surprises

I just received my DNA results from Ancestry.com!  So exciting!!

Family member name: Meredith Rae Webber Hargreaves
Tree branch: All
Lifetime: 1975-
Relation: Me

Meredith's DNA results

What do these results show??  Basically, I'm white.  (Shocker!)

It's almost as if my DNA was not tested, but instead they compiled all the people in my family tree and came up with the above percentages based on where everyone is from. I'm not surprised at these results at all.

I think I am slightly more German than the test shows, but 10% is in the ballpark.

I was hoping to be 1% Native American, based on the fact that my Pilgrim ancestors lived in close proximity to Indians for many years.  (Can't tell me there was no hanky panky going on!)  But alas, nothing shows up, so that's disappointing.

This test is awesome confirmation that my research has been on track and that the source records from Ancestry are also correct.

I'm looking forward to the other features offered by these results, like possibly finding family members.  Stay tuned...

A mysterious first marriage

This week would have been my grandparents' 79th anniversary.  Their wedding date was September 2, 1939.  I never questioned this. I never had to research the date, it was undisputed.  Why? Because we celebrated it with them!  When your family tells you something, you don't ask to see proof from a notary.  

Family member name: Roger Pearson Webber, Charlotte Ellen Smith Webber
Lifetime: 1914 - 2000, 1915 - 2014 respectively

Places lived: Massachusetts; Rhode Island

Tree branch: Webber
Relation: My grandparents (my dad's parents)

Webber wedding - photo taken Sept 2, 1939

I was very surprised when I recently found a document that made me question their wedding date.  "Heavenly day!" as my grandma would exclaim.

This is my grandparents' newly discovered marriage certificate.  It shows them as married May 27, 1938 - over one year earlier than we thought.  The ceremony was in another state: New Hampshire, not Massachusetts.

I contacted my aunt, who sent me a photo of the marriage certificate she has in her files.  This is the marriage we all knew about - in Massachusetts in 1939.

Both marriage certificates are valid documents and listed in the marriage indexes for their respective states.

Wow, do you know what this means? My grandparents got married twice.  To each other. 

I have no record that they were divorced in between these marriages.  And they did not live together after the first marriage. (Notice that they fibbed on their second marriage certificate by saying it was their first marriage.) 

Why did they get married twice? We don't know. One possible reason could be that my grandmother's mother was dying of cancer.  In fact she died April 13, 1939 in New Hampshire. Maybe it was her dying wish to see her daughter married, I don't know. We always thought she died a few months before their wedding in 1939.  But, could she actually have attended their wedding in 1938?? Probably.

But why in the world get officially married again by a priest?  Why not just have a late reception? How many people at their second wedding knew they were already married? Now both of my grandparents have passed away, along with anyone who may have known the reason for the duplication.  

We now have a family mystery.

Sources:

New Hampshire Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947, page 509

Massachusetts, US, Marriage Index, 1901-1955, page 175

Stock buckle

We were snowed in after a blizzard in Virginia.  My dad finds an old box from somewhere and we dig in to find family treasures galore.

What in the world is this? (Next to the pen.)

We had no clue.  Good thing it was inside a labeled envelope. 

"Silver stock buckle.  This stock buckle was made from Mexican silver dollars and worn by Jonathan Pearson, father of Isaac, therefore great-great grandfather of the Webber Quartette."

My grandpa Roger Pearson Webber was the eldest of the Webber Quartette.

Family member name: Jonathan Pearson 
Lifetime: 1766-1841
Tree branch: Pearson
Relation: My 4x great grandfather

Now we know who, but still, what is a stock buckle?  It's a buckle for a stock.  Duh.  When looking at paintings of men from the 1700s and early 1800s, it's common for them to be wearing a wrapped, folded white linen cloth around their necks.  It's the predecessor to the neck tie, and it's called a stock.  It was the most formal of neckwear.  The stock was wrapped around the neck and had tabs like buttonholes in the back where the stock was secured with a stock buckle.  A stock buckle was often silver and sometimes embellished with gems.  It was jewelry for men.

We don't know what Jonathan Pearson looked like, but here is a photograph of his son, Isaac, wearing a stock.  I like to think he's wearing his father's stock buckle.  I realize how rare it is to possess something that belonged to a great great great great grandfather.  I'm grateful.

Now, the question remains, where did a family in the early 1800s from Maine procure Mexican silver dollars in order to make this stock buckle?  The plot thickens.

Hingham

Hingham, Massachusetts holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I would visit my Grandma and Grandpa Webber and spend much time with my two cousins. My dad grew up in Hingham. I had no idea of our connection to Hingham other than knowing that my grandparents moved their young family there in 1952/53.

Family member name: Ralph Smith
Tree branch: Smith
Relation: My 10x great grandpa.  My dad's mom's dad's dad's dad’s dad’s dad's dad's dad's dad's dad

Why did my grandparents move to Hingham? They grew up in Needham and New Bedford. Maybe they just wanted to be commuting distance to Boston?  My Grandma Webber’s maiden name was Smith. Normally a difficult surname to research, but there have been mountains of information on this family with deep New England roots.

When reading a history of the Smith family in New England, many generations lived on Cape Cod, in the towns of Chatham and Eastham. But when going back further, a Ralph Smith lived in Hingham for almost 20 years, from1635 to 1653. He lived on Main Street and ran a store. When researching the history of the town of Hingham, it was founded in 1635. In fact, Ralph Smith, his three brothers and four other men originally arrived there in 1633 to begin clearing land and building huts in order to cultivate the land the following spring. Though it was called Bare Cove at that time, when they set up a town government, they renamed the area Hingham. Why? They had just arrived in the new world from their hometown - Hingham, England.

It’s so exciting that my dad grew up in the town that was founded by his direct ancestor, who was a pioneer of distinction.

Here is a plaque placed by the Association of the Descendants of Ralph Smith.  Disclaimer: I did not take this picture.  I copied it from another website. :)  But I hope to visit it someday.

Tree Branches

What is a branch of a family tree?

Is it the family line through my grandparents?  If so, each person would only have four tree branches.  And while this is technically a true statement, for this blog's purposes, I'm going to narrow it down a little further.

Going forward, when I reference a branch of my family tree, I'll be referring to the branch beginning with my (or Dru's) great-grandparents, as shown in the red box below.

Therefore, we each have eight branches.  Mine are: Webber, Pearson, Smith, Bromley, Boyle, Anderson, Sullivan and Goesch.

Meredith's Family Tree's branches

Dru's branches are: Hargreaves, Cottam, Jones, Newman, Kekos, Papoutsaki, Stevens and Papas.

Dru's Family Tree's branches

Each post will also be tagged with the tree branch so as to find information easily.  Hopefully this will add some clarification to what may be a bunch of random family stories and research findings.

Bath time!

My dad's middle name is Bromley.  It is his grandmother's maiden name.  I knew that the Bromleys were from England.  It's time to see life through their eyes.

Family member name: William and Anne Amelia Bromley and their son Henry Bromley

Relation: My 2x great grandfather (Henry) and my 3x great grandparents

William and Anne lived in Bath.  Ah, Bath! Known for its beautifully preserved white Georgian style buildings and its curative hot springs, Bath has been a destination for who's who of British society for centuries. 

And the Bromleys lived right in the middle of it. Anyone who has lived in Bath or has ever visited Bath for even one day is familiar with where they lived. 

In 1858, they moved into the downtown area of Bath.  They lived on the 3rd and 4th floor attic of 25 Union Street.  The ground floor and second floor was used for retail.  Union Street is a pedestrian shopping area in the heart of the town. And just across the street is the Roman hot baths along with the famous Pump Room restaurant. The Pump Room is named for the actual water pump that brings the mineral water up from the deep spring below directly into the restaurant. Centuries old plumbing! 

Here I am directly below their apartment. Downstairs is now a clothing store called COS.  Their windows would have been the ones above the letters COS. The Bromleys were so downtown.

Jane Austen, who lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806 wrote about the Bromleys' corner.

From chapter 7 of Northanger Abbey:

Half a minute conducted them through the pump-yard to the archway, opposite Union Passage; but here they were stopped. Everybody acquainted with Bath may remember the difficulties of crossing Cheap Street at this point; it is indeed a street of so impertinent a nature, so unfortunately connected with the great London and Oxford roads, and the principal inn of the city, that a day never passes in which parties of ladies, however important their business, whether in quest of pastry, millinery, or even (as in the present case) of young men, are not detained on one side or other by carriages, horsemen, or carts.  This evil has been felt and lamented, at least three times a day, by Isabella since her residence in Bath.

In the 1860s, William was the manager and editor of a newspaper, also listed as a printer, which I think is fantastic since I also work for a publishing company. Maybe that's where I get some of my obsession with grammar and punctuation. (I know I get some from you too mom!) That profession meant he was educated and no doubt well-known around town. Anne Amelia was a dressmaker. Did she create fashion-forward clothes for the high society ladies to show off at the theatre? How cool would that be?  Anne made enough to support herself since William moved out of the home in the late 1860s. We don't know why.  Anne lived there until 1874. 

Here are some pictures of the sources I found at the Bath Records Office.

Bath City Directory 1860-1861

Bromleys listed in Bath 1860 Directory at 25 Union Street

1852 map of Bath.  I added the star at 25 Union Street.

Genealogy Jackpot

The dilemma
Almost 7 years. I have been researching my family for 7 years. There was one name that I never touched.  My grandma's maiden name was Smith. The misconception is that such common names would yield so many search results that finding your relative is like finding a needle in a haystack.

The rationalization
Why should I even try? It's the road leading to frustration and disappointment. I have other family members to research anyway. Yeah.

The glutton for punishment
Ok I might as well take a look. Zero expectations.

The search
1. Starting point: My dad's mom's maiden name was Charlotte Ellen Smith. Her father's name was Charles Nelson Smith. That's all I know.
2. Hold on.  I remember receiving info about this family once. In an email, I found that Charles Nelson was born in Chatham Massachusetts and his father's name was Nelson. (Makes sense). And his middle initial was F.
3. Ok Ancestry.com, whatcha got? Don't fail me now. I entered in the above info and got a hit! Nelson F's father, born in the same town, was named Charles H. Smith (Makes sense). Yay! I just found my 3x great grandpa. There's the family in the Mass state census of 1865. Nelson F is 6 years old.

The joy
What else can I learn from this census?  What was Charles Smith's occupation?  My ancestors were usually shop keepers. I had no expectations, but maybe a mariner? I had to make sure I was reading this right...  Do you see it?

 "Light keeper".  Cue the inspirational music.  Charles H. Smith was the lighthouse keeper of Chatham Light on Cape Cod from 1862-1872. His children, including Nelson F, grew up in the light house quarters. I now need to know everything about this entire family, Chatham Light and their whole life. Stay tuned.


The lesson
Don't skip the Smiths! If you have other family names, dates or auxiliary details, you may find a genealogy jackpot.

An unlikely conversation

Family member name: Mattie Ellis Pearson
Relation: My great grandma
Detail: My dad's dad's mom

For many years I wondered where she got her name.  Many children are named after a parent or grandparent. But I could not find an Ellis in the family tree.  Then I found Mattie's father's grave (Greenfield Pearson).  He is buried with his first wife.  Wow! Didn't know he was married before. She died young. Her name was Martha Ellis.  hmmmm

Here are a few completely fictional possible conversations between Mattie's dad Greenfield and her pregnant mom Myra.

Scenario A

Myra:  What should we name our baby if it's a girl?

Greenfield:  I think we should name her Mattie Ellis.

Myra: Wow, that's pretty, but really random.  Where did you come up with that?

Greenfield:  ummm, I don't know.  Just came to me.

Myra:  Well, I was thinking about naming her after my mother or grandmother, but, ok honey, Mattie Ellis it is.  And dear... I love you.

Scenario B

Myra:  What should we name our baby if it's a girl?

Greenfield:  I think we should name her Mattie Ellis.

Myra:  Wow, after your previous wife?  Umm, I don't think that's a good idea.

Greenfield:  Well, her parents made me promise to name a child after her if I ever had a daughter.  And she died young.  Shouldn't we remember her in this way?  Can you please help me keep my promise?  You never knew her anyway.

Myra:  Ok, Mattie Ellis it is.  (Thinks to self... we're probably going to have a boy anyway.)


Scenario C

Myra:  What should we name our baby if it's a girl?

Greenfield:  I think we should name her Miriam, after my mom.

Myra: I think we should name her Mattie Ellis.

Greenfield:  After my previous wife?  Umm, I don't think that's a good idea.

Myra: She wasn't just your previous wife, she was a good friend of mine.  She was lovely person who died young.  We should honor her in this way.

Greenfield: Ok, Mattie Ellis it is. (Thinks to self... we're probably going to have a boy anyway.)

Which scenario do you think it was?  To answer, please leave a comment below, or provide your own scenario - please!

Here is Mattie with her father Greenfield.

Tragic update on the special shoemaker

My June 15th post mentioned the namesake of my great great grandpa, Charles Arnold Webber.  I had found from census records that he was named after a man who lived with them named Charles M. Arnold who died at the age of 33.

After a little bit of digging, I found that Charles and Mary Ann Arnold were not just boarders in the household with the Webber's.  Mary Ann was Lucy's sister.  So Charles was their brother-in-law.

I decided to do a little bit of digging to find his cause of death.  One word: wow.

Here is the typed version of the document below:
"An incident of him, occurring was the closing sum of his mortal career, was this: He was confined by sickness to his room; his disease was typhoid fever, accompanied with fits or seasons of mental aberration and estrangement.  In one of these turns he sprang suddenly from his bed, hallooing "murder," and made for a window, with the declared or manifest intention of going out; his wife, the only attendant present, attempted to prevent this, but was unable so to do; he abstracted himself from her grasp, leaped from the window to the pavement or ground outside; the window was in the third story of the building, and by force of the fall both his legs were broken just above the ankle joint.  His death ensued a few days after from the combined effect of his anterior disease and the injury received from his leap from the window."

I can't imagine the heartbreak! What a tragic loss.  And what an amazing account to leave to posterity.  The account continues:
"He was a man of rather prepossessing personal appearance, of fair intelligence, and general good behavior."

You know what?  People in the 19th century did amazing things.  My theory is that they just had more time.  No TV, no internet.  They came home from a day's work and said "what do I want to do tonight?" And then had no distractions.

During the mid-1800's, record keeping was meticulous in Massachusetts.  There is so much detail.  I have never encountered a document like this, but the author was amazingly thoughtful, poetic and prolific.  He wrote a short summary of all the individuals in the town, even if they only lived there for a short time.  There are over 350 pages of families.

A Special Shoemaker

In 1850, a man named Charles Arnold and his wife lived in the same household with my 3x great grandparents, Edwin B. Webber and Lucy Towne.  Edwin and Charles Arnold were both shoemakers.  Perhaps they worked together.  Charles Arnold was about 26 years old at the time and Edwin was 31.  I can imagine that if they lived together and worked together, they were very good friends.  I don't think those arrangements could have worked too well otherwise.

In December of 1857, Charles Arnold the shoemaker died at age 33.  How horrible!  The family must have been devastated.

Less than one year later, Edwin and Lucy had a baby boy in November of 1858.  They named him Charles Arnold Webber.  I'm sure they were reminded of their friend regularly.  Charles Arnold Webber is my great great grandfather.  This is his picture.

Family member name: Charles Arnold Webber

Lifetime: 1858-1933
Tree branch: Webber

Place lived: All in Massachusetts: Holland (Mass), Brimfield, Boston, Needham

Relation: My 2x great-grandfather (my dad's dad's dad's dad)